Yu Dabao (; born 18 April 1988) is a Chinese professional
footballer
A football player or footballer is a sportsperson who plays one of the different types of football. The main types of football are association football, American football, Canadian football, Australian rules football, Gaelic football, rugby le ...
who currently plays for
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...
club
Beijing Guoan
Beijing Guoan Football Club () is a professional football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in the Chaoyang District in Beijing and their ho ...
.
Club career
Yu Dabao started his football career playing for second-tier side
Qingdao Hailifeng
Qingdao Hailifeng F.C. (), previously named Qingdao JVC Zhengyi, Qingdao Benda and Hefei Chuangyi was a former professional association football club in the Chinese Football Association Jia League. The club was engaged in "bribery and private bus ...
and was soon called up to the
Chinese under-17 national team. With the under-17 side, he played well during the
2004 AFC U-17 Championship
The 2004 AFC U-17 Championship was the 11th AFC U-17 Championship, which was held between 4 and 18 September 2004 in Japan.
China won their second title after beating Korea DPR 1-0 in the final.
Qualification
Venues
The matches were played i ...
and was quickly regarded as one of the best prospects in China due to his aerial and counterattacking abilities. This saw many clubs reportedly interested in the Yu including
Ajax
Ajax may refer to:
Greek mythology and tragedy
* Ajax the Great, a Greek mythological hero, son of King Telamon and Periboea
* Ajax the Lesser, a Greek mythological hero, son of Oileus, the king of Locris
* ''Ajax'' (play), by the ancient Greek ...
,
Newcastle United
Newcastle United Football Club is an English professional football club, based in Newcastle upon Tyne, that plays in the Premier League – the top flight of English football. The club was founded in 1892 by the merger of Newcastle East End ...
, and
Rangers; however, he joined
Benfica on a three-year deal. In his debut match, only five days and three training sessions after he arrived in Portugal, Yu scored three goals and assisted a fourth in a reserve match against
Portimonense
Portimonense Sporting Clube is a Portuguese sports club based in Portimão. Founded on 14 August 1914, it is most notable for its professional football team, which currently plays in the Primeira Liga, the top flight of Portuguese football. It al ...
.
Due to Yu's strong performances for Benfica's reserves, he was given the chance of training with the first team during preseason and was thus officially added to the first team. He made his debut for the club on 26 September 2007 in a 0-0 draw against
Estrela da Amadora
Club Football Estrela da Amadora (), sometimes just Estrela, is a Portuguese sports club (predominantly football) based in Amadora, northwest of Lisbon.
It's the successor of Clube de Futebol Estrela da Amadora, founded in 1932 and extinct in ...
in the
Taça da Liga
The Taça da Liga (), known outside Portugal as Portuguese League Cup, is an annual football club competition organised by the Liga Portuguesa de Futebol Profissional (LPFP) for teams competing in the Primeira Liga and LigaPro, the top two tier ...
, winning 5-4 on penalties. He was then soon loaned out to second-tier side
C.D. Aves
Clube Desportivo das Aves (), commonly known as Desportivo das Aves, or simply as Aves, is a Portuguese professional football club based in Vila das Aves, Santo Tirso. The club was founded on 12 November 1930 and plays at the Estádio do Clube ...
and then third-tier side
Olivais Moscavide but was unable to save them from relegation as they suffered defeat in the last match of the season. Speculation then grew that Yu was willing to leave Benfica after his loan period at
C.D. Mafra ended. By 13 May 2009, Yu revealed in a telephone interview that he was about to leave to spend the offseason back in his homeland; however, he received a call from Benfica asking him to stay until further notice.
By February 2010, Yu's contract with Benfica had ended and he went on trial with
Major League Soccer
Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...
side
FC Dallas
FC Dallas is an American professional Association football, soccer club based in the Dallas–Fort Worth metroplex. The club competes as a member of the Western Conference (MLS), Western Conference in Major League Soccer (MLS). The franchise be ...
; however, he was unable to receive a contract with them. He then signed a contract with top-tier side
Tianjin Teda
Tianjin Jinmen Tiger Football Club is a professional Chinese football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in Tianjin, and their home stadium is t ...
before the start of the
2010 season. His move turned out to be a big success and he went on to win the
2011 Chinese FA Cup
The TOSHIBA 2011 Chinese FA Cup (Chinese language, Chinese: 东芝2011中国足球协会杯) was the 13th edition of Chinese FA Cup.
The match of first round began on 4 May 2011, and the final took place on 19 November 2011. Tianjin Teda F.C., Ti ...
, which saw him become one of the most sought-after players in China. On 27 February 2012, it was reported that Yu transferred to reigning league champions
Guangzhou Evergrande
Guangzhou Football Club, formerly known as Guangzhou Evergrande Taobao Football Club, is a professional Chinese football club that participates in the Chinese Super League under the license of the Chinese Football Association. The team is based ...
for a reported fee of ¥15 million; however, Guangzhou withdrew from the transfer talk in the afternoon that day and he transferred to the newly promoted side
Dalian Aerbin
Dalian Professional Football Club () is a professional Chinese football club based in Dalian, Liaoning, that participates in the China Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). Their home stadium is Dalian Sports Ce ...
the next day.
On 27 December 2014, Yu transferred to fellow
Chinese Super League
The Chinese Football Association Super League, commonly known as Chinese Super League or CSL, currently known as the China Ping An Chinese Football Association Super League for sponsorship reasons, is the highest tier of professional football in ...
side
Beijing Guoan
Beijing Guoan Football Club () is a professional football club that currently participates in the Chinese Super League under licence from the Chinese Football Association (CFA). The team is based in the Chaoyang District in Beijing and their ho ...
after Dalian was relegated at the end of the 2014 season. By the
2018 league season, coach
Roger Schmidt would name Yu as the club's captain and convert him into a
centre-back
In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring.
Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...
. This change in position would see Yu lead Beijing to go on to win the
2018 Chinese FA Cup
Yanjing Beer 2018 Chinese FA Cup (Chinese: 燕京啤酒2018中国足球协会杯) was the 20th edition of the Chinese FA Cup. On 29 December 2017, Yanjing Beer extended their sponsorship contract for another four years (2018–2021).
Schedule
The ...
.
International career
Yu was called up to the
Chinese national team by then manager
Gao Hongbo
Gao Hongbo (; born January 25, 1966 in Beijing) is a retired Chinese football striker and head coach of China League One side Beijing Enterprises. He previously managed the China national football team from 2009 to 2011, and in 2016. Appointed ...
and made his debut on 18 December 2010 in a 3-0 win against
Estonia
Estonia, formally the Republic of Estonia, is a country by the Baltic Sea in Northern Europe. It is bordered to the north by the Gulf of Finland across from Finland, to the west by the sea across from Sweden, to the south by Latvia, a ...
. After making several further appearances, he scored his first goal for China on 22 February 2012 in a 2-0 unofficial friendly win against
Kuwait
Kuwait (; ar, الكويت ', or ), officially the State of Kuwait ( ar, دولة الكويت '), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated in the northern edge of Eastern Arabia at the tip of the Persian Gulf, bordering Iraq to the nort ...
. Yu did not have to wait long before he scored his first official goal when he scored on 29 February 2012 in a 3-1 win against
Jordan
Jordan ( ar, الأردن; tr. ' ), officially the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan,; tr. ' is a country in Western Asia. It is situated at the crossroads of Asia, Africa, and Europe, within the Levant region, on the East Bank of the Jordan Rive ...
during
2014 FIFA World Cup qualification
The 2014 FIFA World Cup qualification was a series of tournaments organised by the six FIFA#Structure, FIFA confederations. The 2014 FIFA World Cup featured 32 teams, with one place reserved for the host nation, Brazil national football team, Bra ...
.
Career statistics
Club statistics
.
International statistics
International goals
:''Scores and results list China's goal tally first.''
Honours
Tianjin Teda
*
Chinese FA Cup
The Chinese FA Cup (, abbreviated as CFA Cup) is the national knockout cup competition in China organized by the Chinese Football Association. Its current holders are Shandong Taishan, having beaten Shanghai Port in 2021 for a record seventh titl ...
:
2011
File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...
Beijing Guoan
*
Chinese FA Cup
The Chinese FA Cup (, abbreviated as CFA Cup) is the national knockout cup competition in China organized by the Chinese Football Association. Its current holders are Shandong Taishan, having beaten Shanghai Port in 2021 for a record seventh titl ...
:
2018
File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...
China U-17
*
AFC U-17 Championship
The AFC U-17 Asian Cup, formerly known as the AFC U-16 Championship and AFC U-17 Championship, is a football competition, organised by the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) held once every two years for Asian under-17 teams that also serves as a q ...
:
2004
2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and its Abolition (by UNESCO).
Events January
* January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 6 ...
References
External links
Player profileat Sina.com.cn
Player profileat Sohu.com
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Yu, Dabao
1988 births
Living people
Chinese footballers
Footballers from Qingdao
China youth international footballers
China international footballers
S.L. Benfica footballers
C.D. Olivais e Moscavide players
C.D. Mafra players
C.D. Aves players
Chinese expatriate footballers
Chinese expatriate sportspeople in Portugal
Chinese Super League players
China League One players
Tianjin Jinmen Tiger F.C. players
Dalian Professional F.C. players
Beijing Guoan F.C. players
2019 AFC Asian Cup players
Association football midfielders
Association football forwards